After the game, Dustin Brown talked about his hit on Anitti Miettinen and the ensuing five-minute major and game-misconduct penalties for a hit to the head. Brown expressed certainty that he did not hit Miettinen in the head.
BROWN: “If I had hit him in the head, he would probably be on the ice for a lot longer than he was. The league is looking at hits like that. I think that was a clean hit, from top to bottom. Shoulder on shoulder. He’s shooting the puck and he’s in a vulnerable position, maybe, but I’m not going to not make that hit. Actually, I hit him almost on the inside of the shoulder. If I hit his head, I’m not sitting here even arguing it, but a shoulder-on-hit, and I think he still had the puck when I made contact, so it wasn’t late or anything. But with the league being all over these blindside head shots, they’re probably going to make that call every time, because they’re all over the refs to make those type of calls. … It’s one of those plays where I think it’s a clean hit, and refs have a split-second to make a decision.”
Terry Murray was asked what type of explanation he got from referee Wes McCauley after the play.
MURRAY: “That that kind of hit is a lateral hit, blindside hit, blow to the head, and it’s one of those mandates that has been reviewed and talked about for several years now. Last summer, the rule was put in place, and that when you see that kind of a hit, it’s automatic.”
And did Murray think Brown hit Miettinen in the head?
MURRAY: “No, he didn’t. I’ve watched the replay a few times. They have a split-second to see the play happen, but Brownie actually comes around in front of the player and hits shoulder on the front of his shoulder. There was no blow to the head. You have an offensive player in a prime scoring area, shooting the puck. The defending player has to have the ability to get contact there. You have to defend against that kind of a shot. It’s a prime scoring situation. I thought he made a tremendous effort to get in front of the shooter and it comes right from the front. There was not, in my view of it, on the replay, a blindside hit.”
According to a Wild spokesman, referees declined to comment after the game. Murray said he was told, by McCauley, that McCauley would review the play after the game. While Brown is subject to supplemental discipline from the league, it’s also possible that the game-misconduct penalty might be rescinded.
I’ve watched that hit maybe eight times so far and I don’t see the head being targeted. I see a guy bent down and getting hit by a shoulder on his shoulder from the front side. Brownie did not even hit him as hard as he could have.
I think things are getting a little out of hand with these calls.
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rontheking Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 9:42 pm
@fourtunato,
it was obviously not a head shot because had it been due to the velocity of a brown hit the fellow’s head would have flown into the stands!
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fourtunato Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 10:04 pm
@rontheking,
Agreed. He sort of did a little head waggle, like “oh, okay, I’m good to go”. That was not a Brownie type hit. It was a pulled punch delivered to potentially save a goal.
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Luc20Rules Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 11:44 pm
@fourtunato, This is what I love about this team. TM and the rest of the team knew the Brown call was on a clean hit. When this team gets f#@(%) by the refs they seem to collectively say No and pull out the win anyway. I suspect the league will remove the game misconduct from Brown’s record after reviewing the film.
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it was a clean hit brownie!
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Interesting to say the least. I thought for sure it was a head hit at first, but clearly it wasn’t. I predict no fine at all and game-miscounduct rescinded.
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Real 7 Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 10:44 pm
@KC23,
right you are….like TM said, likely the ref will make that call every time, because it’s natural split-second reaction….certainly Brown will not be fined or suspended, but it would be most unusual to see the league rescind to game misconduct penalty on the refs say-so….
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Luc20Rules Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 11:51 pm
@Real 7, Actually I remember Brown having a game-misconduct recinded before on a more questionable hit, where the player being hit quickly lowered his head at the last minute, but that was 2 years ago before these new rules. I can’t imagine they won’t recind the game misconduct as you can clearly see there was no contact to the head. Plan and simple it was a bad call. I actually thought so at regular speed, and was quite upset as I was proven right in the slow motion reviews.
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just my opinion Reply:
October 26th, 2010 at 10:31 am
@Real 7, Umm, they didn’t make the call on a late hit to Doughty. No call and he’s out for how many games with a concussion? Also, I still don’t buy the ruling by the league that it was incidental. Twice since then our players have been thrown out of the game and the “injured” players didn’t even miss a shift.
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Meh, hey I LOVE THE LA KINGS, AND D. BROWN!!! but it seemed like the kinds of hits the NHL is trying to do away with. He is right, had brownie really tried to hit his head he would have and that guy would be taken out on a stretcher i believe that. But that hit came from a vaunerable spot. I hope the NHL reviews this and sees that its wasnt a head shot and does not suspend him.
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mrbrett7 Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 8:57 pm
@LEE10, So, Lee…are NHL players supposed to just let a player shoot and score because they may have their head down while shooting? When did this turn into the NFL?
Sorry, but the call was understandable for the referee as it happened so fast, but after watching the replay a bunch of times, it was as clean a hit as can be.
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Dominick Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 9:25 pm
@LEE10, What are we suposed to use Sarge, harsh language?
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uknojata Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 9:27 pm
@LEE10, If the league’s not careful it’s going to take away the physical play from the game and completely ruin it in the process. This time around there was no head contact, Brown just caught him with it down. Anytime a player is taking a shot or putting their head down they are vulnerable, it’s the nature of the game. That said, I completely understand the concern over headshots and support an effort to limit them. However, I agree with Lombardi, it’s ultimately going to be up to the players to have respect for their colleagues.
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We slowed it down and watched all the angles and it sure looked like shoulder to shoulder to us. It was interesting to see that Brown kept his elbow tucked in the entire time.
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insert rhetorical question here:
…and would they have rescinded a PP goal had the Wild scored on the ensuing major that would’ve then been the game winner…
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blugator Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 8:55 pm
@Shakes,
They wouldn’t rescind the major penalty, only the game misconduct penalty. Thus, any goals would have counted.
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DLB Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 9:59 pm
@blugator, I think he just meant that for some things, there are no takebacks.
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Dominick Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 9:28 pm
@Shakes,
If Brown gets a (god forbid) game misconduct later in the season, that would be his second.
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I’m thinking that these kind of hits need to be reviewable. A 5 minute major and game misconduct is way too huge to depend on the refs with the game moving so fast.
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rontheking Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 8:59 pm
@KC23,
good point. the war room in toronto or wherever should review it the same way they review questionable goals.
an ejection of an impact player AND 5 minute major penalty often changes the outcome of a game EVEN MORE than one disputed goal ever would!
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puck73 Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 10:12 pm
@rontheking, I like that idea !
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mrbrett7 Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 8:59 pm
@KC23, Not a bad idea! Won’t happen, but still, a good idea.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 9:07 pm
@KC23, best post yet. Anything that causes a major penalty should be reviewable, let alone the gamer. I’d go the opposite direction too, and say that if someone injures a player but the officials don’t catch it, go with the replay to see if a penalty was committed, and enforce it.
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RoyalPain Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 9:18 pm
@KC23, Let the refs call the game. Yeah, they make mistakes, but the league office is telling them to make these calls and that pressure will lead to some like this one. I hate replay. I’ll take the refs, warts and all.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 9:21 pm
@RoyalPain, at the cost of a fantom major and gamer? Could have cost them two or three goals! I think it’s reasonable to use replay for something like that.
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RoyalPain Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 9:32 pm
@What’s the frequency, Kenneth?, My main point is that replay (and league edicts) seems to affect officials’confidence and leads to more erratic calls. I think that has happened in the NFL.
What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 10:04 pm
I’d say the NHL handles the replay better than the NFL, so I don’t think that would be an issue. Frankly, I’d like to see the NFL do replays more like the NHL does, and they both should have a mechanism for reversing bad penalty calls.
they should rescind it–it was a bad call plain and simple. nothing wrong with that hit–shoulder to shoulder on a puck carrier/shooter. bad call.
look at the hit to selanne: that was an elbow to the head and no penalty on the ice or by the league–ridiculous!…oh that’s right selanne’s a duck. never mind….
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Deke'r Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 9:21 pm
@rontheking, Therein lies the rub! The referees making consistant calls throughout the league. I too think majors should be reviewable.
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I have never seen the Kings on NHL on the Fly so much. Reference the hit, it looked like shoulder-to-shoulder to me, but the “vulnerable” definition worries me reference a suspension. We need Brownie for Chicago and Dallas. First place in the Pacific is great even though we are only a tenth of the way through the season
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iam glad to see that the nhl is getting hard on the hits to the head…The player it saves may be our own..Its a cliche but its true…better to err on caution….It will keep the game cleaner and our stars on the ice longer…
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Who has the most wins in the NHL?
GO KINGS GO!!!!!
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Forum67 Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 9:14 pm
@Niko,
Nashville.
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SirKingsly Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 9:19 pm
@Forum67,
hhahahahaha
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ColoKingFan Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 9:30 pm
@Forum67, Nashville is 5-0-3 so the Kings do have the most wins… 2nd in points.. i can settle for that.
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King Taco Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 9:33 pm
@Forum67,
check again
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Forum67 Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 11:43 pm
@King Taco,
I stand corrected. Sorry to temper Niko’s enthusiasm. So to echo his comment, GO KINGS GO!!!!!
How do you unrescind a players lost time on the ice, where does that come from! It’s called a knee jerk reaction. Somebody with a knee made a reaction. And unlike an ass-umtion, most people have two knees, unlike the one ass. And well, guess where the jerk portion comes in.
It’s a good thing our Kings are used to this bullcrap more than obvious one sided calls against. It’s a shame, but as a fan of the Kings I’m used to it aswell
Seriously, two majors in two games, and the Kings are getting better. How good do the Kings have to get before we are aloud to play the same game as the other teams. Why are the Kings held to such a higher standard of play?
Peace.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 9:09 pm
@Jamesonafterawin, You might have a point that the Kings are suffering “big boy syndrome,” where they’re not quite allowed to play as hard as the smaller teams. I hope that’s not what we’re seeing, as it’s unbefitting of pro sports.
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puck73 Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 10:14 pm
@Jamesonafterawin, Come on man, thats just Perception..our owners name isnt Al Davis.
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Jamesonafterawin Reply:
October 26th, 2010 at 7:38 am
@puck73, So what did you think of it when JMFJ was stopped on his first shootout attepted. Have you ever seen that happen before, not me. Just bad communication between official and score keeper?
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Some of the hockey talking heads are agreeing that it was NOT a head shot now. Glad it isn’t just us Kings fans. Hope they rescind the penalty. Not that it matters anyplace but Browns PIM stat at this point.
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I would be beyond shocked if there is any supplemental discipline as a result of Brown’s hit on Miettinen because I don’t think it was a head shot. I don’t have an issue with the refs. Hockey’s a fast game and they don’t have the benefit of slo mo replays.
But the more important issue for me is how the Kings did not let the major penalty get them down. They just laced the skates tighter and kept a one goal deficit from growing. Kings teams of several years ago would have folded like an accordion under that kind of adversity.
Regardless of the fact that the Kings weren’t able to obtain a 40 goal plus sniper in the off season, this team is the real deal and will be in the hunt for the top spot in the Pacific Division.
And keep in mind that the Kings have had all this early season success without a SINGLE GOAL from their defensive corp. Stand by when Johnson and Doughty start lighting the lamp.
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DougS Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 9:17 pm
@Forum67,
I always felt that some folks were putting too much importance on a 40-goal scorer. I remember being just stunned this summer, when someone here said that the Kings wouldn’t make the playoffs without Kovalchuk!
If the Kings can get a marquee sniper for the right price, fine. If we can develop one in-house, perfect, no complaints from me. But I think the Kings can go a long way by focusing on scoring depth and defense, as they’re doing now.
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fourtunato Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 9:53 pm
@Forum67,
I am on record ad nauseum saying signing Kovi would be a big mistake. Even a blind pig gets a truffle once and a while.
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puck73 Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 10:18 pm
@fourtunato, that signing would have damaged the team chemistry to some degree for sure, ask that moron Mr. Vanderbeek, he’s an expert at destroying team chemistry!
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For the sake of my fantasy team, I hope they don’t rescind the game misconduct.
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Kevin Y Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 9:13 pm
@Danielle,
They can rescind misconducts as far as how they’re recorded in the books as misconducts (I think like what the NBA has with technical fouls), but I think he’ll keep the 10 PIMs, irregardless. So congrats =)
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this was a bad call by the zebra,did you see where he was positioned he did not have the best angle and it kind of looked like a good embellishment by the wild player……………let these guys play hockey its a rough sport thats why it takes some nads to play it.
its sure not basketball lets not turn it into a refferee
dominated game.
thats why we love it so much its the last pure sport on the planet………………..nice hit brownie that is the way the game should be played…..it takes good defensive plays like that to win ask quickie im sure he didnt have a problm with it.
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I don’t think it was a smart play by Brown in the first place, but the refs were in a tough position. They saw a hit like that and the upper part of Miettinen’s body targeted. It was a call that the refs kinda had to make because of how big the impact was and how “violent” it looked, but I think the league’s gonna rescind the misconduct and not suspend Brown further…
Just like I said last Saturday, just glad it didn’t hurt us tonight.
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fourtunato Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 10:00 pm
@Kevin Y,
Yeah, not a smart play. Next time, let him take the shot without messing up his rhythm.
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Kevin Y Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 10:23 pm
@fourtunato,
I mean… the play was really, REALLY close. Was it shoulder-on-shoulder? Yeah, possibly. But on a play THAT close, the refs are always gonna look out for the players.
You can understand why the ref made the call he made. And once you call the penalty, you can’t really say “my mistake, I take it back”.
That’s the way Brown plays, and this isn’t gonna change his style. I can understand why the call was made, but I also think Brown may have been able to avoid it.
Maybe he could’ve let up before making contact. It appears that he got there late, and it’s hard to make this decision in real-time speed, but… I don’t know.
These are the kind of hits the NHL is trying to eliminate from the game, and Brown cut it TOO close. He may be able to avoid supplemental discipline from the league, but once the penalty call is made, you’ve almost screwed your team. The only way to really avoid getting in this situation again is to aim for the torso/forearm. If you aim for a shoulder-on-shoulder hit, you run a great risk of getting it up too high and getting the head.
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puck73 Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 10:21 pm
@Kevin Y, I had a much bigger problem with Simmonds transgression then what Brown did tonite which I thought was a big physical hit in a scoring area. When the league looks at it, they will realize it and Brown and the Kings will be fine.
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Kevin Y Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 10:57 pm
@puck73,
I didn’t watch the Avalanche game in real time, only through highlights… but yeah, Brown’s play was much more “deserving” of a major than Simmonds’… debateable whether either should’ve earned one, but Brown’s was much more understandable.
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Cole’s hit on Doughty was far worse AND it was away from the play.. Brown doesn’t make that hit it might mean a goal. All these protect the player rules in hockey and now in the NFL as well are really taking away from the game if you ask me. That was a hell of a play by Dustin and I’m glad he made it (especially since the resulting kill played a huge part in the comeback).
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puck73 Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 10:21 pm
@ColoKingFan, Agreed
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I don’t question the call on the ice. At first glance, referee’s point of view, the hit looked like a head shot. Refs don’t have the luxury of watching replays of hits over an over again. They see something, make a judgement call and consequences ensue.
That being said we all know that it was not a cheap shot and Brownie does not have that reputation.I do support the league in cracking down on these types of blindside hits and unfortunately Brownie was caught in the proverbial crossfire of a league wide crackdown on these types of hits. Deference shown for other players even in the heat of battle will only make this game stronger and protect the integrity of the game. Plus it’s one less issue that the NHPLA has to deal with as they approach the CBA.
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puck73 Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 10:23 pm
@Bonvivant1, Agreed, Referees usually do a good job, they just got this one wrong and the film will show the league just that.
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Can someone explain to me what the implications are when a game misconduct is rescinded? I’m unclear what that does for the player/team.
Thanks!
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RoyalPain Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 9:36 pm
@wirespeed14, Three game misconducts in the season and you get a one-game suspension I think.
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wirespeed14 Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 9:59 pm
@RoyalPain, Thanks!
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Just like all the NHL anylists are saying, Id be very surprised to see this go down as a suspension. It was blind side, but the head wasn’t targeted, and the head wasn’t the principle point of contact. As you can see he kind of slipped off his shoulder. However it was blind side. He should be okay though.
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Just saw it now as I recorded the game. Easy to see why it was called the way it was on the ice. Impossible to tell live and even could take a few watches to see he didn’t hit his head.
Will be interesting to see what the league does because I agree that the Doughty hit was worse considering the circumstances.
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I believe the ref who made the call was in the left corner. From there, I am not sure how he could have possibly seen where contact was made with the shooter. I understand the need to make this type of call, but I can never understand refs who call what they think happened rather than what occured. If you did not see the play, then do not blow the whistle.
I do have some concerns that we will see our games called tighter over the next couple of weeks with 2 majors in 2 games. But, I would rather the boys stay aggressive.
I think Richie had 3 O-zone takeaways tonight. Greene is the perfect compliment to our defence. During PKs, I put down the purple Koolaid and have a shot of Greene Whiskey.
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puck73 Reply:
October 25th, 2010 at 10:25 pm
@jet, Richardson, Williams, and Stoll were a pain in the ass for Minnesota defensemen in their own zone from the 2nd period on.
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Brownie pulled his punch, next time he should give throw a full force clean check for the same punishment.
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Anyone ….. tell me , a guy who played at many levels, how on ice are you going to stop from even hitting a guy from either, front, back or side unless you start letting up before you get to the other player. Maybe they need to retire the Stanley Cup and replace it with a Beer Keg and call the league the BHL .. Beer Hockey League, How do you stop the injuries?? You take ALL the hard shells off of the elbow pads, shoulder pads, take the curves out of the sticks, take the helmets off and watch how the big guys get kinda small without all the protection. It would work and the game would be even more exciting. Let the “D”‘s clear the front and protect the goaltenders also reduce the size of the goaltenders equipment and that’s where taking the curve out of the sticks comes in, they wouldn’t have to worry about Everybody having a shot of 90+ so the gear could be reduced.
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Michael_DD8 Reply:
October 26th, 2010 at 12:08 am
@DetroitSons1952,
AKA go back to the 60′s. Nice.
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I feel the way the game is being called is going to lead to better actors then athletes. Hockey is a tough sport. The toughest. Hits to the head are wrong and diminish the talent (Deadmarsh), but concussions can occur without any head impact (Doughty?). Sudden acceleration or deceleration of one’s body can lead to various types of trauma including head injury. I’ve had them from shoulder to shoulder hits that I delivered. They are minor in grade, as compared to the head being the point of impact, but they still are no fun. Players need to be responsible for their own heads and respectful of other players heads. Like your stick I guess. I’ve been high-sticked on a shot follow thru and high-sticked someone on my back swing. Neither one are penalties, or shouldn’t be, so maybe there is some type of happy medium in those rules that we can apply to hits to the head. Players need to keep their heads up. Now they just face the boards and don’t even protect themselves when someone is bearing down on them. A player in the process of shooting will be vulnerable, so you time your hits sometimes. It might be they only chance you have to hit them because they may deke you. Brownie obviously didn’t deserve a penalty. His hit was clean, as his always are. Go Kings Go!
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Just came across a Tweet by Bob McKenzie saying that he would be surprised if Brownie gets suspended, because there was no intent to target the head.
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I think you are all missing a big point, but which was pointed out by Terry Murray: Brown got in front of Niemi before he made contact–check his position on the ice. Then as long as he keeps his elbow down, there should be no call.
Mostly I am upset because we will probably never see a replay of the monstrous check into the boards Brown had earlier in the shift!
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I am good on the 5 minute call and the split second decision. Gotta protect the players. If he gets a suspension at all I will question that. But yea, Miettnen was in a bad position and Brown took advantage of that. I wouldn’t wanna see a player get hurt. I certainly know if that were Kopi that took that hit from say…Clutterbuck…last night I would feel at ease knowing the refs are trying to protect players.
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I concur with what Brown had politely eluded to in his remarks. If he hit Miettinen in the head, he would have been out cold and there would be no arguing the point nor a possible suspension.
If Brown receives anything less than a recinded misconduct, it will be yet another instance of the NHL chasing its tail with enforcement.
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I agree with the one fellow, take off the helmets, the face shields, the bulky pads, curved sticks, etc. and see how the players play from that point on….aka 60′s hockey. I will guarantee that the sticks will be controlled and kept down, players will show more respect towards others because they are not totally protected like they are now. There were less head injuries BEFORE helmets were made mandatory.
The way it is now, seems that every open ice hit is turning into a major…..I was totally suprised about Brownie’s major and game misconduct when it was announced, even the crowd in Minnesota was shocked and suprised. Pretty soon, the NHL will be a non-checking league, just the way the Europeans wanted it to be….well not all of them (Salming is prime example of a European import with guts).
Improvements to the game, let’s take away this new rule on blind side hits, shots to the head, etc. But on the other side of that particular coin, let and allow the PLAYERS to police themselves. If you take out my player with a cheap shot, oh yeah, you better have eyes in the back of your head because you will get it right back. Nature of the game. Go back to the one referee and two linesmen system. In the example of last night’s game, the one ref made the call on Brown but I did not see him consult or talk to his partner…..isn’t it why we have the two referee system in the first place????
Thanks for letting me vent and dish out ideas. I have read many comments from many other stories (movie, current events, sports, etc.) and this group of posters have tons of intelligence and smarts. A joy to read everyone’s opinions.
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Lol…I love hearing hockey fans make calls about their own team. Brown could pull out a gun, fire 6 bullets into Miettinen head and the majority of Kings fans would say “I didn’t see him shoot.” It looked like a pretty clear headshot to me and it was a good call.
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